Press Releases

The devil may have gone down to Georgia, but The Charlie Daniels Band is coming to Richardson, Texas, to headline at the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival on May 17, 2013. And one of his fans, singer Gretchen Wilson – who knows the words to every Charlie Daniels song, will be his opening act.

According to the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, “Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.” In Daniels’ biography on his website, he is described as partly Western and partly Southern, making him perfect for Wildflower!

Born in the South but with a love of all things Western, Daniels’ dress reflects the cowboy while his music - rock, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel – favors his Southern roots. He will only label his music simply as “CBD music.” He has recorded with Bob Dylan, Flatt & Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Mark O'Connor, Leonard Cohen and Ringo Starr. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley and Tammy Wynette.

Already known for songs like “Uneasy Rider” and “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” in 1979 Daniels recorded the multi-platinum “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which has become an anthem for legions of fans. In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, he has traveled well over a million miles touring and won numerous awards. On January 19, 2008, a lifelong dream was fulfilled when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Among Daniels’ legions of fans was Gretchen Wilson. Discovered by John Rich and Big Kenny of the country duo Big and Rich, she started cutting demos and singing at clubs while going around to the record labels in Nashville.

A large part of Wilson’s popularity is because “I’ve been genuine from the get-go…I’m an open book.” In an epiphany one night during a writing session at Rich’s place, she realized she wasn’t “the Barbie-doll type” that was so popular then. Turning the focus on what she was, she and Rich wrote “Redneck Woman.”

“Redneck Woman” made Wilson an overnight star – the song was #1 on the charts for six weeks and was followed up by another hit: “Here for the Party.” But as much as she appreciates her success, one of Wilson’s proudest accomplishments is finishing her high school education in 2008 at the age of 34 to show her then 8-year-old daughter Grace how important education is.

Tickets go on sale April 15 at all area DFW Tom Thumb stores or through Wildflower!’s website: http://www.wildflowerfestival.com/tickets.html. A three-day pass is $30, single-day adult is $20 and kid’s pass (age 5-12) is $3. On Sunday, May 19, kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult courtesy of Bank of America. Check the website for the festival’s 15 for $15 group ticket promotion and for directions to the festival.

The Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival began in 1993 as a small community event held in a local park in northeast Richardson, Texas, to celebrate the acres of wildflowers planted around the city. Twenty-one years later the festival has become the premier music event in the area with over 1,200 volunteers and attendance surpassing 70,000 a year. The Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival is produced by The City of Richardson.